Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE
8
season, it is a capital time to forget grievances and to bury spite and
lift ourselves above the petty jealousies and animosities that may
have smirched the pages of the fading year. Why, Lord bless us,
this old world of ours isn't so bad after all.
KEVEW
J. B. SP1LLANE, Managing Editor.
THOS. CAMPBELL-COPELAND,
W. MURDOCH LIND,
EXECVTIVE STAFF:
GEO. B. KELLER,
A. J. NICKLIN,
PHILADELPHIA OFFICE:
EMILIE FRANCIS BAUER,
GEO. W. QUERIPEL.
CHICAQO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 36 La Salle St.
BOSTON OFFICE:
ERNEST L. WAITT, 255 Washington St.
MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL:
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
E. C. TORREV.
ST. L0U15 OFFICE :
CHAS. N. VAN BUREN.
SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE: ALFRED METZGER, 425-427 Front St.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico and Canada, $2.00 per
year; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $50.00; opposite
reading matter, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
^ _
On the first Saturday of each month The Review contains in its
THE ARTISTS* "Artists' Department" all the current musical news. This is effected
without in any way trespassing on the size or service of the trade
DEPARTMENT section of the paper. It has a special circulation, and therefore aug-
ments materially the value of The Review to advertisers.
^ pitkin The directory of piano manufacturing firms and corporations
! / « L « V . v £ ; . r l A N O found on another page will be of great value, as a reference for
MANVFACTUR.ERS
dealers and other*
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE—NVMBER 1745 GRAMERCY.
NEW YORK, DEC. 31. 1904.
EDITORIAL
T
H E end of the year is reached, holidays are nearly over, and
business concerns everywhere are counting up the results of
the old and arranging plans for the new year which begins
to-morrow.
The holiday trade has been, in some respects, not up to the
expectations of many, and still, on the whole, the results have been
quite as pleasing as a year ago. Trade for the past few months has
been excellent, and it must be admitted that it was necessary to have
a lively fall and holiday trade in order to make good the trade deficit
brought about through a dull summer. When the reckonings are
all made it will be found that 1904 has given an excellent account of
itself in a business way.
—
—
—
1
i
^ .
O
NE thing is certain, however, it has required a greater- energy
and persistence to hold up a fair volume of business this year
than it did during the preceding one. It has taken greater effort
on the part of manufacturers and dealers to maintain a high stand-
ard in output. It will require, too, a greater effort all the time to
manufacture and market goods at a profit. The lines of competition
are becoming keener and finer drawn all the time, and unless one
has extraordinary advantages it is found that the margins of profit
are constantly being lessened. The loss of profit on the individual
sale must be counterbalanced by making a greater number of sales,
and to do that requires increased energy and a closer application.
M
BOU BEN ADEM wasn't half way an idealist after all when
he affixed his autograph as one who pinned his faith to his
fellow man.
Sociologists tell us that an encouragingly large proportion of
mankind is honest. There is no doubt of it. We see evidence of
that on all sides. Those whose business it is to sell on liberal and
convenient forms of payment prove the fact by doing business with
more liberal provisos every season.
We hear of that indefinable something—good will—in the turn-
ing over of business from one management to another, but after all,
good-will is unbuyable. It can't be wholly transferred no matter
what the transfer papers say. Good-will in the inner workings of a
business is an asset of priceless value.
There are employers of whom you hear it said, every man
would go to the limit for them, that means good-will and perfect
understanding. Good-will in the ranks means success. There's
accomplishment among employes where there are no petty bicker-
ings, jealousies and no long-fought wordy battles.
A
Editor and Proprietor.
EDWARD LYMAN
REVIEW
ODERN business is conducted along fierce competing lines,
and the men who are most successful realize the plain truths
embodied in this statement, but there is no reason why even if com-
petition is keen that some of our dealers should indulge in personal
abuse and continued attacks upon instruments which has a tendency
to bring about a lowering of the entire trade. It is a good time now
to form resolutions for the new year to run business on clean lines,
to leave out the besmirching of the reputation of pianos carried by
competitors. However seared or ice-bound our natures may be,
there is something about holidays, something in that all pervading
Christmas cheer and New Year's brightness that should cause us to
forget selfishness and suspicion and piano wrangles. When under
the spell and the glow of good feeling, brought about by the holiday
A
MONG other things in the new year, it will be well to establish
more firmly the one-price principle. The maintenance of one
price is fundamentally sound in principle and eminently advanta-
geous and beneficent in practice. We do not know of a single piano
concern which has established one price for a considerable time ever
to renounce it. A solid uniform system of prices promotes character
in business, develops the higher ideas in commercial relations and
secures to its devotees the confidence of the public, which in itself
is a valuable commercial asset which should not be depreciated by
any piano man. Price cutting is a species of commercial debauchery
that must result in the overthrow of public confidence in the estab-
lishment which clings to it. It rests upon narrow, cold-blooded
principles that merchandizing is a sort of commercial warfare.
P
RICE cutting is bound to lower the standing of the dealer who
practices it. It will destroy his profit; it will breed distrust
and foster prevarication among his salesmen; in the end it robs the
customer. Any old price means disappointment and loss to all con-
cerned—loss of trade to the dealer.
Price maintenance is in harmony with the soundest principle of
business to-day, whereas price cutting is so bad, admittedly vicious
as never to be openly advocated by even its staunchest devotees.
T
H E Bureau of Labor, on December 12, submitted to Secretary
Metcalf, of the Department of Commerce and Labor, the
report of its investigation on the proposed eight-hour law, which
attracted so much attention in the last Congress. The report leaves
the question still open. The Bureau of Labor is an information
gatherer and not intended to register opinions. Accordingly, all the
facts relating to the proposed restriction have been gathered, but the
real question of issue must remain one of individual judgment, upon
which Congress itself will have to pass. It is stated that there is
little likelihood of any action at this session. The bill referred to
aims to limit the working day of all persons employed on Government
contracts in any private establishment.
T
HE suggestion of Commissioner Garfield for regulating inter-
state commerce, which includes the corporations of the country,
is attracting considerable comment.
When we are ready to admit that we will never have any men
in office but who are eminently fair, it will then be ample time to
approve this new plan.
The great flaw in the commissioner's recommendation lies not
so much in its details, as in the principle upon which it is based. I t
would place in the hands of a few men a power even greater than
that which is vested in a monarchy.
Garfield would propose to issue a franchise, or license to cor-
porations engaging in interstate commerce after the filing of such
reports and returns as may be desired—a condition of the retention
of such franchise or license.
E would prohibit all corporations from engaging in interstate
commerce, without federal franchise or license.
In other
words, every business corporation, every piano concern in America,
H